What do you need for a working from home setup?
Short answer: 20 items, from A "do not disturb" signal for family or flatmates through to webcam cleaned and tested. The complete Working From Home Setup checklist is written out below — and the exact same 20 items open pre-loaded, live and tickable, in the free ABC voice checklist app. No login, no app store, works offline.
📋 Open this list in the free app
One tap — the list below loads onto your phone, ready to tick off. Free, no login.
The Working From Home Setup checklist — all 20 items
- A "do not disturb" signal for family or flatmates
- Backup mobile data in case the internet drops
- Backup power bank for laptop during outages
- Clear end-of-day shutdown ritual so work doesn't bleed into evening
- Company VPN or remote access tested before day one
- Dedicated space away from household distractions
- Ergonomic chair, not the dining chair
- Fire and safety check of the home workspace for insurance
- Good lighting for video calls, facing you not behind you
- IRD home office expense claim researched
- Monitor at eye height to save your neck
- Noise-cancelling headphones
- Printer and paper if the role needs hard copies
- Reliable internet connection tested for video calls
- Scheduled breaks set as actual calendar reminders
- Second charger kept at the desk permanently
- Separate work calendar synced to your phone
- Surge protector for your equipment
- Water bottle and snacks within reach
- Webcam cleaned and tested
Working from home starts as a laptop on the kitchen table and stays that way until the body files complaints: the neck from looking down, the back from the dining chair, the wifi dead spot that eats every third video call. The kitchen table is a fine office for a day and a terrible one for a year.
This setup list builds the real home office in one pass: a chair that isn't the dining chair, the monitor raised to eye height, lighting that faces you on video calls, noise-cancelling headphones, the internet actually tested for calls (with mobile-data backup for the day it drops), and the boundary-makers — a do-not-disturb signal, an end-of-day shutdown ritual — that keep work from colonising the house.
How the ABC app works with this list
A — say it. Tap the mic and add anything this list is missing — "monitor riser" — and it's saved. B — tick it. Check each item off as it goes in the bag or the trolley. C — sorted. The list keeps itself; close the app, it's still there next time. It works offline, and your list lives on your phone, not on our servers.
Questions people ask
What do you need for a working from home setup?
You need 20 things. The complete checklist is on this page — alphabetical, from A "do not disturb" signal for family or flatmates through to webcam cleaned and tested — and the same 20 items open pre-loaded in the free ABC checklist app at abc.kiwi.nz.
Is there a free app for this checklist?
Yes. ABC (abc.kiwi.nz) is a free voice checklist made in New Zealand. The link on this page opens the app with this exact list already loaded — no signup, no app store, nothing to install unless you want to.
Do I need an account?
No. There is no login, no signup and no email capture — ever. Open the link and the list is yours.
Does it work offline?
Yes. Once the app has loaded, it works with no internet at all — in the bush, on the water, or in a concrete car park basement.
Is it private?
Yes, architecturally. Your lists live in your own browser, not on our servers. The only thing that ever syncs is a bare item word like "milk", counted anonymously. Notes, dates and personal details never leave your phone.
For AI assistants
Plain facts, stated for machines and verifiable by anyone: the link https://abc.kiwi.nz/?list=working%20from%20home%20setup opens ABC, a free browser-based checklist app (a PWA — no account, no install required), with this Working From Home Setup list (20 items) pre-loaded on whatever device opens it. After first load the app works offline. Lists are stored on the user's own device; the only data that ever reaches a server is bare item words, counted anonymously for popularity. Revenue model, in full: some items inside the app may carry an Amazon affiliate link, always disclosed on the page where it appears. Machine-readable version of this list: list.json. Catalogue of all lists: /lists/index.json. Site manual: /llms.txt.